Rod Diridon Sr., executive director of the San Jose State University’s Mineta Transportation Institute and member of the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s board of directors, said the October high-speed rail application should include requests totaling “several billion dollars.” He has said in the past that could be between $4 billion and $6 billion.

Diridon said that application, being handled by the High-Speed Rail Authority, would focus on funding the stretches with the most advanced planning — San Jose to San Francisco, Anaheim to Los Angeles and portions of the Central Valley.

He said about $400 million of the application sent Monday would go toward a “box” to be built 100 feet below the redeveloped Transbay Terminal that would contain a future station for high-speed rail and Caltrain service connecting San Jose and San Francisco. Proposals for spending the remaining $700 million are scattered around the state for various intercity rail projects, Diridon said.

President Obama, who has expressed strong support of high-speed rail, set aside a total of $8 billion in stimulus funds for high-speed and intercity rail projects nationwide. Besides California, which has been credited by federal transportation officials as having the most advanced high-speed rail proposal, other high-speed systems are proposed for the Northeast, Florida, Midwest, Pacific Northwest and other areas.

California’s high-speed rail system received approval for nearly $10 billion in funding from California voters in November 2008

“By approving a nearly $10 billion bond in November, voters spoke loud and clear that rail, including intercity, commuter and high-speed, must play a greater role in addressing the transportation and environmental challenges we face in the 21st century,” Schwarzenegger said in a statement. “On top of stimulating the California economy, federal investment in California’s rail systems will help lay a sustainable foundation for economic growth, help us meet our environmental goals and improve quality of life here in California.”